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Thank You!!!!

On behalf of all the members of the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band and our amazing collaborators, we wish to thank New Music USA for this incredible honor and congratulate all of the other incredible projects that were awarded.

We will be back in the studio very soon to continue recording and mixing.

I will be posting another track shortly.

Best

Joe McCarthy

Leader/Afro Bop Alliance

Overview

Afro Bop Alliance is an ensemble of many shapes and sizes. Afro Bop’s recordings range from sextet to large ensemble, having featured Latin Jazz luminaries such as Paquito D’ Rivera, Poncho Sanchez, Dave Samuels and Arturo O’ Farrill, presented with unique Latin Jazz instrumentation including strings, steel pan and voice. Led by drummer Joe McCarthy, his role within and vision of this ensemble is multifaceted. Joe founded Afro Bop Alliance over a decade ago and has performed on and produced all of Afro Bop’s recordings, while serving as musical director, manager and booking agent. His vision of this ensemble has always been one of inclusion, meaning no musical borders. “I believe the sound of this band is a direct result of the members musical diversity. Everyone brings a different flavor to the table when we write, record and perform.” The vision also includes education. Joe is an adjunct Professor of Drumset/Percussion at Georgetown University and George Mason University and has done clinics throughtout the US and abroad. “Afro Bop is a great vehicle for educating. Our music is a combination of many diferent compositional, rhythmic and harmonic elements, all of which are essential components of a solid musical foundation.” Both Joe and Afro Bop have been featured at The Jazz Education Network (JEN) and Percussive Arts Society (PASIC) International Conventions. Joe is also committed to presenting new compositions through Afro Bop. “We have great writers in the band and love collaborating with other artists such as Roland Vazquez, who bring a different vibe to the band and inspire us to channel our spirit through their music.”

The project we are presenting is a large ensemble (19 musicians) performing the Afro Latin compositions of Roland Vazquez and friends. No stranger to large ensembles, Roland’s big band release “The Visitor”, received a 4.5 star rating from Downbeat Magazine, citing “Roland’s luminous precise writing” and Jazz Times citing “Roland Vazquez joins the ranks of Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue as a visionary composer of contemporary big band jazz.”

The 2008 Latin Grammy was awarded to the recording “Afro Bop Alliance” for Latin Jazz Album of the Year and nominated for the 51st Grammy Awards in the same category. This recording was a collaboration with the Caribbean Jazz Project and the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, featuring Dave Samuels.

Our guest artist will be Grammy Award winning NEA Jazz Master

Paquito D’ Rivera.

The goal of this new project is to present these unique compositions that we truly believe represent a style of writing worthy of greater exposure and recorded preservation. Afro Bop is aligned with this writing style and recognizes the importance of the music being recorded with stylisitc integrity and clarity, all the while making the music dance. Our mission with this project is to release these new works, featuring the artistry of Paquito D’ Rivera who symbolizes the pinnacle of this music. We are committed to educating through performance and hope to engage more listeners with this wonderfully rich and dense musical tapestry.

Project Media

Golpe de Cumaco

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This is a track from Afro Bop Alliance’s latest large ensemble recording, UNA MÁS, on OA2 Records.
It is composed by Luis Perdomo and arranged by Vince Norman.
Recorded at Bias Studios, Springfield VA.
Mixed and mastered by Bob Dawson.
Produced by Bob Dawson and Joe McCarthy.
Co-Produced by Vince Norman.

No Rest for the Bones of the Dead

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This footage is from the recording session we did February 8, 2014 with composer Roland Vazquez, featuring the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band. The composition is entitled “No Rest For The Bones Of The Dead”.
Recorded at Bias Studios, Springfield, VA, Bob Dawson, engineer.

Family of Four

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Here is an Afro Bop tutorial, combined with a pictorial of the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band performing the Roland Vazquez composition, “Family of Four”.
Recorded February 9, 2014 at Bias Studios, Springfield, VA.
Bob Dawson engineer.

Start and End Dates

02/08/2014
— 07/30/2014

Location

Project Created By

Afro Bop Alliance is a Latin Grammy Award winning Afro Cuban Jazz Ensemble based in Washington DC. Winner of the 2008 Latin Grammy for Latin Jazz Album of the Year and nominated for the 51st Grammy Awards in the same category, Afro Bop has been thrilling audiences for over a decade. Afro Bop has recorded…